October 12, 2011 in Nation/World

Obama says he’ll keep fighting for jobs bill

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A day after Senate Republicans killed his $447 billion jobs bill, President Barack Obama said he isn’t taking no for an answer.

In his first, combative appearance since a united Senate GOP caucus filibustered the jobs plan to death, Obama today promised to keep the pressure on Congress for his job initiatives.

“Now a lot of folks in Washington and the media will look at last night’s vote and say, ‘Well, that’s it. Let’s move on to the next fight.’ But I’ve got news for them: Not this time. Not with so many Americans out of work,” he said. “Not with so many folks in your communities hurting. We will not take no for an answer.”

After pressing for Congress to award his jobs package an up or down vote, Obama and his Democratic allies promise to force additional votes on separate pieces of the measure, like infrastructure spending, jobless assistance and tax cuts for individuals and businesses.

“We will keep organizing and we will keep pressuring and we will keep voting until this Congress finally meets its responsibilities and actually does something to put people back to work and improve the economy,” said Obama, who spoke at an event organized by the White House recognizing Latino contributions to American history.

The White House is using the jobs issue as a political sword as the 2012 campaign heats up. But it’ll take a more bipartisan approach to actually deliver results sought by an angry public.

Obama’s plan died at the hands of Senate Republicans on Tuesday, even though the president had been campaigning for it across the country for weeks. The $447 billion plan fell on a 50-49 tally in the 100-member Senate, falling well short of the 60 votes needed to crack a filibuster by Republicans. They opposed to its stimulus-style spending and its tax surcharge for the very wealthy.

Now, the White House and leaders in Congress are moving on to alternative ways to address the nation’s painful 9.1 percent unemployment, including breaking the legislation into smaller, more digestible pieces. And on Wednesday, both the House and Senate are poised to approve long-stalled trade pacts with Korea, Panama and Colombia.

In the weeks and months ahead, Democrats promise further votes on jobs. But it remains to be seen how much of that effort will involve more campaign-stoked battles with Republicans and how much will include seeking common ground in hopes of passing legislation. Further complicating matters is a deficit “supercommittee” that is supposed to come up with $1.2 trillion or more in deficit savings — some of which Democrats may want to claim for jobs initiatives.

Tuesday’s tally also shows that Republicans believe they have little to fear by tangling with Obama.

“Republicans will continue to seek out any Democrat who’s more interested in jobs than in political posturing and work with them on bipartisan legislation like the trade bills we’ll vote on tonight,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday. “What we will not do, though, is vote in favor of any more misguided stimulus bills because some bill writer slapped the word ‘jobs’ on the cover page.”

The White House appears most confident that it will be able to continue a 2-percentage-point Social Security payroll tax cut through 2012 and to extend emergency unemployment benefits to millions of people — if only because, in the White House view, Republicans won’t want to accept the political harm of letting those provisions expire.

White House officials also are hopeful of ultimately garnering votes for the approval of infrastructure spending and tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.

Senate Democrats will begin sorting through their options on jobs at a weekly closed-door caucus on Wednesday.

Obama’s plan would have combined Social Security payroll tax cuts for workers and businesses and other tax relief totaling about $270 billion with $175 billion in new spending on roads, school repairs and other infrastructure, as well as unemployment assistance and help to local governments to avoid layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police officers.

Obama said the plan — more than half the size of his 2009 economic stimulus measure — would be an insurance policy against a double-dip recession and that continued economic intervention was essential given slower-than-hoped job growth.

Unlike the 2009 legislation, the current plan would be paid for with a 5.6 percent surcharge on income exceeding $1 million. That would be expected to raise about $450 billion over the coming decade.

Leaders of the GOP-controlled House have signaled they support tax cuts for small businesses and changes to jobless insurance to allow states to use unemployment funds for on-the-job training. And they’ve indicated they’ll be willing to accept an extension of cuts to the Social Security payroll tax. But stimulus-style spending is a nonstarter with the tea party-infused chamber.

“Now it’s time for both parties to work together and find common ground on removing government barriers to private-sector job growth,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said after the vote.

25 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

slamdunk on October 12 at 9:55 a.m.
The obstructionist tea baggers are at it again. Block a jobs bill? They have really showed their true colors this time….
WHS on October 12 at 9:59 a.m.
And there you go, the party of NO strikes again. You know, at one time I admired the Republican party… I didn’t always agree with them, but I also realized that they were for America, all of America, just like the Democrats. In fact, at one time the end results of both parties was the same, the only difference was how we got there. Now… The Republicans have changed and become the party of No, the anti-Obama party… In fact, the only thing they are for is reducing taxes for the wealthy and the corporations… Which is the only “solution” they have offered up to help fix our economy and create jobs.
WHS
Navydad on October 12 at 10:13 a.m.
Interesting that the US Senate website breaks down the vote. Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid voted against this bill.
mikeln on October 12 at 10:28 a.m.
None of these people are that interested in putting america back to work. The whole country is falling apart and a whole lot of people could be put to work fixing it. But wait, china is doing our road work and most of the rock used is now owned by this communist country. What part of treason on the part of every single elected official do we not understand? We need to publicly fund elections and throw all these bums out, then prosecute them and take all of thier ill-gotten money back.
WHS on October 12 at 10:29 a.m.
Navydad, sorry but you are mistaken. Reid is the sponsor of this bill and what he voted No or Nay on was the Cloture Motion, he did not vote against this bill.
WHS (another Navydad!)
johnclarke on October 12 at 10:44 a.m.
Senators, Republican ones in particular are simply out of touch with the common man. That is because they see themselves as the House of Lords, as special people that are above the rabble known as the middle class. Why on earth would anyone except the richest 1% vote for these guys ?
jddavis on October 12 at 11:08 a.m.
WHS is correct…he didn’t vote against (or for) the bill, he voted against ever bringing it up again.
Obama’s Jobs Bill in the Senate = DOA
misjustice on October 12 at 11:28 a.m.
Senator Reid is going to break down the “Jobs Bill” and re-introduce the components that make up the bill into small segments. For example, the tax incentive to small businesses will be a stand alone bill. And the continued payroll tax breaks for wage earners will be a stand alone bill; so on and so forth until all parts of the bill have been voted on.
And I applaude his efforts. Let’s get every Senator on the record on each component of the Jobs Bill.
misjustice on October 12 at 12:44 p.m.
*****slamdunk on October 12 at 9:55 a.m. The obstructionist tea baggers are at it again. Block a jobs bill? They have really showed their true colors this time….******
So it was JUST republicans that voted against this bill? Nope. They needed democrats too & had enough of them to vote this down. Quit blaming everything on the ‘pubs. Demoncrat’s held power for over 2 years & couldn’t get anything passed while they had the power to do so and now it’s all the Republican’s fault nothing is getting done? Yeah, right.
ManleyPointer on October 12 at 2:11 p.m.
Calling this a “Jobs Bill” doesn’t make it a jobs bill. It’s a piece of throwaway garbage: President Obama never expected it to pass, would have been stunned if it had. It’s a political grandstand for our President, not any kind of serious legislation that might have resulted in the creation of any jobs. If these guys, Ds and Rs alike, really wanted to create jobs, they’d get their hands off the nation’s economy; a real jobs bill would start with these crooks losing THEIR jobs. It’s all self-serving politics.
misjustice on October 12 at 2:43 p.m.
JustGrammaAGAIN, surely you understand the filibuster? And the concept of negative power? And what it takes to over ride a filibuster? Right, Gramms?
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 5:14 p.m.
Nobody trusts Obama with money. If the economy is to imporve, he’ll have to go. Sad to say…it’s just the feeling around here.
He’s instilled fear in the USA that the country not seen since WWII. Banks won’t loan….he’s attacking them now for his election strategy. It won’t work but there’s too much fear now.
He needs to go. He won’t….. so the cash flow and jobs will have to wait for his departure. Just the way it is these days.
Seriouls…who the heck knows what he’ll try next?? It changes from day to day…..whatever might work for his re-election.
It looks like a lost cause. He is simply not trusted.
It’s both R’s and D’s who won’t “go along” anymore. Most of the D’s saw 2010’s election …Obama said he’d protect the losers of their election in return id they would support him on Oamacare. They believed him. They received no support and they were sent home. The House and Senators who made it through won’t be trusting him again. He IS their Kryptonite.
R’s won’t vote for anything he wants because they it’s impossible to fund without printing money as he has been doing. D’s won’t vote for his JUNK. They want to keep their jobs. Obama should know that it’s simply over…his experiment has failed.
The_Seer on October 12 at 5:34 p.m.
Dazed: The “R’s” don’t seem to mind running the printing presses for banks, the war machine and big energy. Please explain why they are hesitant to do so if it will put people back to work? Instead of relying upon the canned “government can’t create jobs” mantra, try honestly answering that question and then ask yourself what exactly the GOP has offered in the last three years in the form of job creation policy?
detroitdude on October 12 at 5:52 p.m.
Ignore the troll. Obama “has needed to go” in her/his eyes since he was a black guy who got sworn in as President. Please go feed your “Obama isn’t friends with big business” fecal matter to the pigs living outside your meth trailer.
All I can say is at least Obama is putting ideas forward. His political opponents neither put forth anything nor do they take any sort of stance besides being obstructionist. And before Fox News jumps in with their talking points…No, the first stimulus DID NOT fail, it worked, it should have been larger.
gmorton on October 12 at 6:43 p.m.
The_Seer wrote,
“Please explain why they are hesitant to do so if it will put people back to work?”
Because it won’t. Labeling a free lunch bill as a “jobs bill” is merely a piece of rhetorical legerdemain (on a par with lefties labeling themselves “progressives”).
misjustice on October 12 at 7:07 p.m.
Well the pundits, regressive politicians and gmorton may not “like” the Jobs Bill but the American public does:
“Nearly two-thirds of the respondents to a survey from NBC/Wall Street Journal voiced their approval when pollsters were told them the details of the president’s “American Jobs Act”— including that it would cut payroll taxes, fund new road construction, and extend unemployment benefits. NBC reports that 63 percent of respondents said they favored the bill, with just 32 percent opposing it.”
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/americans-approve-obama-jobs-bill-unlike-senate-poll-192109731.html
The numbers go up when folks are told what the bill entails; leading me to believe that many have not read the proposed bill.
Maybe that’s why Senator Reid wants to re-introduce the bill one component at a time?
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 7:14 p.m.
Seer….what;s holdup? He passed out $780 billion of our money to spur the economy…how’d that work out for ya son?
Oh and don’t forget the deficit which is surpassing $15 trillion…what did we all get from his spending?? How is it that he and Ben Bernanke qued up a cool $3.7 trillion sent somewhere from the Fed? ALL of it our money and what’s to show for it?
Small wonder Rs and Ds don’t trust this rookie.
As for YOUDetroit….you’re quite the silly rascal when all you can do cry racism. Sad really ..but it does belie any ability to deal with the subject.
Obama’s a rookie who has no clue what he’s doing. He’s been so erratic and spiteful to some that nobody of merit trusts him
with what he craves: Power and control of money as he fakes you out on his march to socialism.grren or yellow or brown…he’s just not cut out to be anything but a community organizer.
No training. No desire to be trained. Just an idalogue who’s spend our money in a black hole called “bankers and wall st.”
It’s as over for him as it was in 2010 when he sold his own support out. It’s over and nobody will give him money to do more damage with. Great President huh?
JBlim on October 12 at 7:21 p.m.
” …deficit which is surpassing $15 trillion…what did we all get from his spending?? . . .”
We got the war in Iraq and tax cuts for the rich. Duh.
misjustice on October 12 at 7:50 p.m.
Oh, and Jr.’s unfunded, off the books, give away to Big Pharma!
At least President Barack Hussein Obama put Jr.’s two immoral wars, the cost of the tax cuts, and the give away to Big Pharma ON THE BOOKS.
Jr. did some fancy schmancy cypherin’ to make the economy and his sucky budgets look less sucky; he did not put them in the budget. And then when the adult took over from Jr.’s and the war monger Cheney’s messes he accounted for their drunken sailor type credit card capitalism.
No offense intended towards drunken sailors.
Where’s my tax cut?
gmorton on October 12 at 7:51 p.m.
misjustice wrote,
“Nearly two-thirds of the respondents to a survey from NBC/Wall Street Journal voiced their approval when pollsters were told them the details of the president’s ‘American Jobs Act’— including that it would cut payroll taxes, fund new road construction, and extend unemployment benefits.”
Well, of course. Everyone likes free lunches. Are you surprised? And surely you don’t expect the average American to understand where jobs come from, given that <5% of them have ever had a course in economics. Most of them think gummint creates wealth and jobs. After all, it prints the money, doesn’t it?
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 7:53 p.m.
Well Obama’s continued the wars he said he’d stop. Think the military trusts him? Think anyone trusts him?
Dem Senate didn’t. R’s don’t. Sorry kiddos…it’s over.
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 7:58 p.m.
You cannot get the water to clear up
until you get the pigs out of the creek.
Obama and his Wall St and Bank friends PLUS Bernanke and Geithner need to go get REAL jobs. Oinky oinky..
We will not clean this mess up with them still in place.
gmorton on October 12 at 8:02 p.m.
misjustice wrpte,
“Maybe that’s why Senator Reid wants to re-introduce the bill one component at a time?”
Of course he does. Then as each one is voted down, he can paint the Repubs as Scrooges for denying the masses yet another free lunch.
Reid knows what scores votes. Deficits? So what?
JBlim on October 12 at 8:57 p.m.
gmorton “Well, of course. Everyone likes free lunches.”
Yup, especially the rich. They love those “temporary” Bush tax cuts.
greenlibertarian on October 12 at 11:23 p.m.
The desultory horse trading and disgusting sausage making haven’t even begun. Both sides are lining up their preferred pork projects to trade upon, so both sides can claim in their districts they brought home the bacon when campaigning next year.
Almost nothing in D.C. is decided upon an honest accounting of what any particular bill is supposed to do. Lobbyists on both sides write most of the bills anyway, then pimp them to the lawmakers and their staff, such lawmakers spending at least half their time just fund raising.
Wall Street is still playing 3 card Monte in the world wide financial system in which there are trillions in derivatives which no one can honestly value.